Nocturne
by Novel Intent
Summary: When I said that moving to Forks meant that my life was over, I never thought the universe would take it literally. This wasn't the afterlife I was expecting. Where were the angels? Where was the heavenly choir? And why did I sparkle now? AU.


**1. BITTEN**

I'd never given much thought to how I would die, and it was only until the moment of death that I realised how much I had always taken my life for granted. I, like most, had thought I'd probably grow old. To me the future wasn't some abstract concept but an absolute given. I wasn't prepared. I had never imagined a scenario in which the future was gone.

I'm painfully aware that I never would have died if I'd never made the decision to move. Had I stayed in Phoenix with my mother...there'd be no story to tell, would there? But, no, I had to go and be all noble and selfless.

I knew that leaving Phoenix—and to Forks, Washington of all places—was committing metaphorical suicide. My disdain for the place had never been much of a secret, but I was willing to trade my happiness for that of my mother's. She didn't get it though, and so she had kept trying to get me to stay. I had gotten so good at lying by the time the time to leave finally came—"I _want_ to go," I'd told her a million times—that she had no choice but to believe me.

I often tried to find the bright side, reminding myself that this arrangement would not be for forever and that I'd be going off to college soon enough. Every time I begun feeling a teensy bit better I would quickly remember everything I hated about my new home.

I hated the cold, I hated the wet, and hated the over abundance of greenery. To me, Forks had never felt as real or as alive as Phoenix. It was more like an alien planet, a horrifyingly tiny alien planet. It was the kind of place where everyone knew each other, backstory and all. There was nothing to do and nowhere to hide. And I, as the only new girl in heaven knows how long, had absolutely no hope of blending in even with my albino-like complexion. Did I mention I was also the product of the Police Chief's failed marriage? Yeah... Anonymity was _so_ not happening.

I'm sure my dad, Charlie, was the only one happy with the arrangement. For his sake, I pretended not to be miserable. I mean, he had even bought me a car as a homecoming gift. Sure, it was an ancient Chevy pickup but a lovely gesture nonetheless—it saved me from having to ride to school in his police cruiser, anyway.

I wasn't sure of how I was going to get used to living in Forks or if I ever would. I missed home and my mom right away, and the constant rainfall that first night was bothersome. I cried for a large part of that first night until the rain finally let up and I managed to fall asleep. That was sometime around midnight.

I know by now you must be wondering what any of this has to do with me dying and I'm getting to that. The thing is, you never know when death is going to get you or how it will happen. Looking back now, it's clear to me that my number was up the moment I landed in Forks. Clumsy as I was, I could have tripped down the stairs on my way off the plane and broken my neck; with all the rain and wind that first night a tree could have easily fallen through the roof of and crushed me in my sleep; and, unaccustomed to driving on wet roads, I could have crashed the Chevy on my way to school. But none of those scenarios come close to what really happened.

It was a boy—if you'd really call him that—which was responsible for my death. His name was Edward Cullen and he was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen.

When I first saw him at lunch I was immediately struck by how otherworldly he and the two boys and two girls that sat with in the corner of the cafeteria were. They all sat perfectly still and quiet with their untouched trays of food, looking more like models in some high-end fashion advert rather than your run-of-the-mill students. They didn't look anything alike except for their absolute flawlessness and shockingly pale skin—they were even paler than I was!

As much as I tried I could not look away. It was as if some force beyond my control compelled me to gawk at these specimens of perfection like an idiot, despite the damage this did to my self-esteem.

Edward, he stood out to me the most. He was lanky and more boyish than the other two, who were massive and looked too old to still be in high school. I'd never seen a boy that looked so much like an angel and his messy bronze-colored hair only seemed to enhance that, giving him an air of effortlessness.

I had experienced a few fleeting infatuations back in Phoenix, but none of those boys came even close to Edward. I knew it was only a matter of time before I began pining, and was sure that this little crush, like all the others, would go unrequited until eventually fading into obscurity.

As fate would have it, the angel-faced boy was in my Biology class right after lunch. I had been hoping to sit with Angela—a refreshingly different, albeit shy, girl who had more important things on her mind than finding out what my favorite color was—but the seat beside hers was taken, forcing me to take the only empty one in the entire class which just so happened to be next to Edward Cullen.

He seemed...angry with me, though I'd done nothing to deserve it—I had stumbled over a book in the walkway but I didn't believe he was offended by clumsy people. I kept my eyes down, avoiding his coal black ones, as I went to take my seat. Thus began the most uncomfortable class period I had ever sat through.

I focused all my energy on paying attention to Mr. Banner's lesson but I was still acutely aware of the hostile presence beside me. His posture was so rigid, turned away, as if trying to get as far from me as he could. I could have sworn he was holding his breath but when I checked myself for any offending odors all I got was the smell of my strawberry shampoo. He didn't relax for a moment.

When the bell finally rang, freeing me from what I had felt was a never-ending hour, I immediately felt relief flood through me. Swiftly gathering my things I chanced another peek in my neighbor's direction surprised to find him completely changed. His posture and expression were relaxed, pleasant, and he was even smiling at me!

"Hello," he said, his voice quiet and musical. "My name is Edward Cullen."

I would have spat out a stupid 'I know' had I not been rendered speechless by that crooked smirk of his. I must have stared at him for too long a moment because he was looking down at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.

"Bella Swan," I murmured, blushing as I held out my hand for him to shake. I'll admit it was something of a formal gesture but it felt like the appropriate thing to do with him.

Edward's hand wrapped itself around mine, enveloping it, and I gasped. His skin was ice cold. He immediately pulled away at my reaction, his smile faltering as if he regretted having touched me. I hadn't minded—not at all—it had just surprised me.

The smirk quickly returned and I felt my brain go all fuzzy.

"May I walk you to your next class?" he asked. It wasn't the first time I'd had that offer that day but it was the first time I felt compelled to accept not because it was the polite thing to do but because I genuinely wanted to.

It was so strange to me. Had I merely imagined his animosity? Could it have been that I let all the attention I'd been getting go to my head and greatly misinterpreted his silence? He could have been shy like some of the other students who had yet to approach me, and must have thought it rude to gawk like everyone else. Maybe he was just trying to do what he was supposed to and pay attention to the lesson? Yes, I was certain I had imagined it all.

"Um...sure," I finally replied, blushing as I noticed I had been staring at him again. "My next class...I, um...Gym."

It was a miracle I had been able to get that much out; a complete sentence would have been impossible. God, why was I being so stupid? He was only a boy! Ridiculously attractive but a boy nonetheless. Still, no boy as good looking as Edward Cullen had ever so much as asked me to borrow a pencil.

"Shall we?" He waved his arms toward the door and with a sheepish nod I began walking.

It was obvious, by the stares we got, that it was unusual of Edward to walk to class with anyone other than his siblings. After all the attention I'd gotten that day on my own it was easy to ignore.

"I apologize for not having introduced myself earlier," he said, suddenly stopping after a few steps. Our classmates walked around us but twisted around to look at us. "I've had...a lot on my mind today."

_See? _I told myself. _It wasn't you._

I shrugged, clutching my books to my chest. "It's okay."

He looked at me as if he were contemplating something. He did so with such intensity it made my mouth go dry and my heart beat quicken. Was this a normal reaction to have to a person? I felt excited but frightened at the same time.

It felt like days until he looked away, finally releasing me from whatever strange hold he'd had over me. He let out a deep sigh and said, "The gym is straight ahead." I looked in the direction he was pointing and nodded. "I would walk you to the door but I should be getting myself to class. Señora Goff doesn't take kindly to tardies."

"Yes, of course," I said, remembering my Spanish teacher's reaction when two girls came in just a minute after the bell had rung. "Thanks anyway, you know, for getting me this far. The rest of the way should be no problem on my own."

Edward bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement of my thanks.

"I guess I'll see you later, then." There was no hiding the hope that colored my words, but I didn't think I could blush any more than I already had in my short time with him.

"Until then."

As I walked I turned to watch him go and noticed that the direction he was heading was in the opposite direction of Señora Goff's room unless...it was an alternate route? Weird as I found it, I tried not to let it bother me.

**~ooOOOoo~**

When I got home Charlie wasn't there but that was to be expected; he wouldn't be back from work for a few more hours. Leaving my things in my room upstairs and changing into a camisole and my comfiest pair of sweats, I headed back down to the kitchen to get started on dinner. This proved to be quite the challenge as the only things I found were a large bag of salt and vinegar flavored potato chips, beers, a liter of Coke, and an assortment of other things that I'd hardly deem meal-worthy. I eventually found some bread, a pack of deli-sliced ham, one tomato, and half a lettuce. Sandwiches would have to do, but only for that night. Grabbing a notepad from the junk drawer I began to make a list of things to buy the next day after school. Honestly, I don't know how Charlie managed to survive living on his own for so many years.

On the bright side, not having prepared a proper dinner left me with a lot of spare time on my hands but I wouldn't be getting used to it. I enjoyed cooking too much to stop doing it on a regular basis. It was one of the only things apart from school and reading that I was good at.

Eating didn't take too long either. I contemplated watching a television for a little bit but thought it would be better to just get my homework out of the way. There wasn't much to do anyway, just a few practice problems for Trig and a translating a short passage out of the textbook for Spanish. I also had to start reading _Wuthering Heights_ for English but figured I'd read it enough times for the fun of it that I could put that off for a little bit.

I had just gotten started on my Trig work when the doorbell rang. I was genuinely curious to know who it was. I knew it wasn't Charlie because he never forgot his keys _and_ he knew where the spare was hidden. Maybe a neighbor looking to borrow a cup of sugar?

_Right._ I snorted. _Like they'd come to Charlie for that._

"Edward," I squeaked in surprise after opening the door.

Edward Cullen was at my house! And looking no less perfect than he had at school, only now his bronze-hair was slightly damp, glowing from the light that came from within the house.

Edward Cullen was at my house and I was in my sweats! Kill me now!

"What are you doing here?" I asked nervously.

"Hello again, Bella," he greeted, his voice bringing back the warm and fuzzy feeling. "I apologize for coming here unannounced but I seem to have taken your Spanish book."

"Oh," I said, taking the book from him. "I hadn't even noticed. Thanks. Um...would you like to come in?"

I have no idea what compelled me to invite him in. Maybe I thought it was the polite thing to do?

He smiled and nodded, thanking me as I led him into the kitchen.

"I was just working on the Trig assignment," I said, feeling the need to explain the mess of papers strewn all across the table.

"It looks as though you're having a little trouble," said Edward.

I blushed. Math had never been my strongest subject and it didn't help that I had just popped up here in the middle of the school year. A girl called Jessica had let me borrow some of her notes but even with them and with the textbook I was finding some of the problems impossible to solve.

"May I offer my assistance?" He had gracefully taken a seat at the table before I had even thought to answer.

"Thank you," I murmured.

It was clear that Edward knew what he was doing and he was very good at explaining everything step by step, but I only managed to get the correct answers when he guided me through the entire process. It was very frustrating, but I was enjoying his company. He seemed like a very kind and interesting person. He was very patient with me even when he had to explain the same concept a number of times.

Little by little we made progress on my homework. Toward the end of it, I noticed that Edward was sitting closer to me than he had been at the beginning. His face was close enough that I could feel his cool breath ghosting over my bare shoulder, making me shiver. His breath should have been the first red flag but I was too distracted by his proximity to find it strange.

When we had finally made it to the last problem, I felt his nose graze the side of my neck, causing the most delicious shivers to run through my body. I suppose I should have been creeped out that a complete stranger was getting so touchy with me but I was so shocked I couldn't even move.

"Mmm," he hummed, sparking another wave of shivers. "You smell divine, Bella. Absolutely mouthwatering."

A bizarre choked sound, something like a cross between a whimper and a groan, escaped me as I tilted my head to the side, giving him open access. I must have you know that I've never been the kind of girl to just let random guys have their way with me but it was like I wasn't in control of my body in that moment. My brain was screaming at me to get away from him, that this was very wrong, but I couldn't move other than to press myself against him. I was acting like those girls I had always thought poorly of and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

My heart was pounding furiously in my chest. Despite the immense pleasure his lips brought me, I could feel a heavy undercurrent of fear rushing through me.

His tongue ran along the throbbing pulse along my neck and I moaned loudly. I wanted to stop this—really, I did—but I didn't know how. My limbs had turned to jelly.

"I've never desired anyone so much in all my years," he murmured. "I have to have you, Bella."

I felt a sharp prick where Edward's mouth was a second before the smell hit me. Metallic, rusty, it made my stomach turn. I panicked, knowing now that he had bitten me but his hold on me was so iron-tight I could not even wiggle. He began sucking at that spot, growling and moaning as he did so. Then there was the pain, a horrid burning sensation that I had never experienced.

Edward was a vampire...but I had realised this too late.

As my vision begun to blur, slowly pulling me into the darkness the burning continued. It did not lessen, it grew. All I could do was pray for the end to come quickly.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! This is my first Twi-fic so I was really nervous posting this. Some of you might know that I'm in the middle of writing another story at the moment but I've had this plot bunny bouncing around my brain for ages just dying to get out. Because my other story (Tomorrow Never Knows) is on the front burner this is a very rough draft but I'd still love to know what you all think of it. Are you interested so far? Should I keep going? Don't be shy, let me know in a review!**


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